Story Highlights

PHILADELPHIA – Nerlens Noel races down the court, jumps in an attempt to block a shot from behind, lands awkwardly and falls to the floor, grabbing with both hands at his left knee.

Coaches and trainers rush to his aid. Opponents kneel. Teammates cover their faces, a nauseating pit in their stomachs.

It's been roughly 14 months since this scene played out in the second half of Kentucky's loss at Florida on Feb. 12, 2013. A yearlong recovery process was a virtual certainty for the then-freshman center, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft, at least before he tore an anterior cruciate ligament and underwent reconstructive surgery a month later.

Now imagine a similar situation playing out with Noel wearing a 76ers uniform.

Imagine it happening in the next couple of weeks, with just a handful of games remaining in this lost season.

Imagine it costing him all of next season, as well.

The Sixers are aware of the latest research, the report in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine that concludes young athletes who return to their sport after ACL reconstruction continue to be at a high risk of suffering a second ACL injury as long as two years later. So it's easy to understand why the 19-year-old Noel is unlikely to make his highly-anticipated NBA debut soon, even though the Sixers (16-59) are reluctant to officially rule the 6-foot-11, 228-pound big man out for the season.

"I'm ambivalent right now," Sixers coach Brett Brown said Wednesday, before the team's 123-93 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats at the Wells Fargo Center. "I think that it's just you're so concerned about his health. That's my biggest concern. There are times you step back and you say, 'Well, it's now really getting late,' and 'Why? What benefit would there be? Are we hurting him?' We don't want to put him in a position where – He hasn't played basketball for what, 14 months or whatever? And we think he's going to come out and be the sixth player chosen [in the draft] and play like that? I don't think so."

Only seven games remain, and Noel, who was initially cleared for "limited on-court work" in January, has yet to reach certain benchmarks set by team doctors or participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage with his teammates.

Noel has worked diligently with Brown to overhaul his shot. But his activities during practice take place in a controlled setting. Playing in an NBA game is a different animal altogether.

And the Sixers have placed a priority on Noel's long-term health.

"Nothing else matters as much as that matters," Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said in July.

That stance has not changed.

The benefits of playing Noel before the end of the season, according to a person with knowledge of the Sixers' thought process, include allowing him to get any first-game jitters out of the way, his potentially being humbled as he uses the experience as a measuring stick for how his abilities stack up, and as a reward to help feed his motivation.

The Sixers are mindful of Noel's motivation. They're aware he powered through rehab sessions last summer without telling his trainers whether he was in pain. They know he has something to prove.

Noel slid in the draft before being selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the sixth overall pick.

He was promptly traded to Philadelphia, along with a top five-protected 2014 first-round selection, in exchange for point guard Jrue Holiday.

"It's something that's always going to be in the back of my mind … and it's something that'll just make the chip on my shoulder grow that much bigger, just push me," Noel said at his introductory press conference. He's been unavailable for comment since.

But he wants to play this season, and for that reason alone it makes sense the team wouldn't publicly rule him out, as they keep dangling potential playing time as a carrot.

Noel turned heads with a cryptic "4-4-14" tweet in early March, a date coinciding with the Sixers' upcoming game at his "hometown" Boston Celtics. But it seems out of the question to expect his NBA debut Friday.

Conspiracy theorists might surmise the Sixers are holding Noel out because they're tanking the season to get a better draft pick and fear he might help win games.

But that makes no sense at this point. The Sixers would have to win six of their final seven games and have Orlando lose out just to drop to the third-worst record in the league. Milwaukee remains in last place, two games below Philadelphia in the standings.

The question facing the Sixers at this point is whether any of the potential rewards associated with Noel playing this season outweigh the risk of another catastrophic injury.

"I feel like in those situations you just have to be careful," Brown said, assessing Noel's health, development and the limited time remaining in the season. "You want to deliver him to the Philadelphia marketplace where he's playing and feeling good, because he's worked his tail off. You want to eliminate any potential health risk. And ultimately, that's just a coach's opinion and it's with doctors that have monitored him from the get-go. And we value Nerlens' opinion, too. And so, is it a benefit? Isn't it? There is so much to weigh up if we're smart with this. And we will be."

It seems like an easy decision.

Bobcats roll

Al Jefferson recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bobcats to a 123-93 victory against the 76ers on Wednesday.

Michael Carter-Williams had 22 points and seven rebounds to pace the Sixers, who lost their second consecutive game since snapping an NBA record-tying 26-game losing streak Saturday.

Anthony Tolliver hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats (37-38), who owned a 63-38 advantage at halftime and led by as many as 35 points. Gary Neal scored 15 and Gerald Henderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts each contributed 14.

Henry Sims scored 15 points for the Sixers, while Elliot Williams scored 12 and Thaddeus Young finished with 11.

Philadelphia shot just 42.2 percent from the field, compared to 53.2 percent shooting by Charlotte.

The Sixers were out-rebounded 47-32. Their 12 rebounds in the first half tied a season low and arena record for fewest in any half.

Casper Where?

Reserve point guard Casper Ware, playing on the final day of a 10-day contract signed March 24, finished with three points and one assist in seven minutes and 10 seconds of playing time against Charlotte, all in the fourth quarter.

Mullens inactive

Reserve center Byron Mullens missed his third consecutive game with a left ankle sprain. It is unclear if he'll play Friday at Boston.